Budget 2009: We have lost our competitive edge, says Anwar

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim says there is nothing new in the budget

KUALA LUMPUR: Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was disappointed with Budget 2009, saying there was "nothing new" in it.

"The problem is, we've lost our competitive edge. There are no FDIs (foreign direct investments), management is slow and corruption is rampant. These issues were not dealt with (by the government)."

He also took exception to the fact that this year's budget is a deficit one.

"For an oil-producing country, it is an exceptional case for Malaysia to continue to register a deficit. It is understandable for a country that has no resources, but not this country."

He said the incentives given to Sabah and Sarawak as well as the poor would not help them in the long run.
He said the budget did not address the issue of competitiveness. "We failed to be more competitive because we are stuck with old policies."

Budget 2009: Reduced road tax a 'drop in the ocean'

KUALA LUMPUR: The government may have reduced the road tax fees for buses and taxis to just RM20, but operators are still unhappy.

Konsortium Transnasional Bhd (KTB) executive director Tengku Hasmadi Tengku Hashim said the reduction was "just a drop in the ocean" and does not really help bus operators.

"The impact is very small, it's peanuts. Every month, KTB spends RM3 million on diesel alone. This is apart from the subsidised diesel. So, a RM280 reduction does not help us."

Road tax for express buses cost RM300 previously.

Tengku Hasmadi said the government should instead look into the diesel quota subsidies which would be more beneficial than a reduction in road tax.
Taxi Operators Association chairman Datuk Aslah Abdullah said instead of reducing the road tax, the government should have just scrapped it.

"Why do we still have to pay road tax when the government has increased the price of petrol and diesel? They should just abolish road tax."

Pan Malaysian Bus Operators Association president Datuk Mohamad Ashfar Ali also touched on the road tax standardisation.

"The government needs to clarify this. Will the stage buses have to pay more now?"

Stage buses were previously charged RM2 for road tax.

However, all the key players in the public transport industry welcomed the proposed Public Land Transportation Commission, describing it as timely.

"The public has suffered for a long time. It's about time we have a proper commission to improve the public transport service," said Aslah.

He said there should be no further delay in implementing the commission.

"The government now realises that putting everything under the current 13 agencies does not work," said Ashfar.

On the RM3 billion soft loan, Ashfar hoped that Bank Pembangunan Malaysia Bhd would be lenient and would not impose stringent restrictions on bus operators.

Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd intercity services general manager Sarbini Tijan welcomed the move to provide efficient public transportation services which he said would benefit the low-income group.

Rangkaian Pengangkutan Intergrasi Deras Sdn Bhd (RapidKL) executive director Suffian Baharuddin appreciated the measures taken to develop new public transport infrastructure.

The Federation Of Malaysian Consumers Association chief executive officer Mohd Yusof Abdul Rahman lauded the government's focus in Klang Valley and Penang where traffic congestion was at a peak.

Budget 2009: Civil servants unhappy with budget, says Cuepacs

KUALA LUMPUR: Civil servants feel let down by the newly unveiled budget,

They felt that the bonus of one month's salary announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi yesterday fell short of what the public sector expected.

Cuepacs deputy president Husain Mohd Yasin said civil servants were expecting to receive a bonus of 11/2 months' salary.

He added that Cuepacs was disappointed because there was no increase in the cost of living allowance (Cola) or the housing allowance for civil servants.

Husain also said the annual free return airfares between Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah and Sarawak only benefited those who were from the two states.
Workers in Peninsular Malaysia, he said, should also be given the same privilege, as they too had homes they wanted to go back to.

On the the extension of housing loans to 30 years, he said the pressing issue was not how long the loan was for, but what kind of interest rates were charged.

"All it means is that we will be paying the same interest rates for a longer period, which doesn't mean all that much to us.

"We hoped for a reduction of at least one per cent on the four per cent interest we are paying now," he added.

Husain said on the whole, the 2009 budget was "a disappointing one".